Award details

Molecular epidemiological studies on morbillivirus diseases

Reference	BBS/E/I/00000780
Principal Investigator / Supervisor	Professor Thomas Barrett
Co-Investigators / Co-Supervisors
Institution	The Pirbright Institute
Department	The Pirbright Institute Department
Funding type	Research
Value (£)	49,740
Status	Completed
Type	Institute Project
Start date	01/04/2000
End date	31/03/2003
Duration	36 months

Abstract

Although RPV has been eradicated from most of the globe it remains in some well-defined geographic foci in Africa and Asia. It is important that vigilance is maintained and that the virus does not spread unnoticed from these sources. To achieve this, constant surveillance and sequence analysis of virus isolates from new outbreaks is essential to enable their paths to be traced and sources identified. Similarly, surveillance and molecular characterisation of PPR, the other economically important ruminant morbillivirus, is essential if adequate control measures are to be introduced in future. In the case of wildlife, the full host range and molecular epidemiology of CDV and the morbilliviruses of marine mammals are still poorly understood. The dolphin and porpoise morbilliviruses are more closely related to the ruminant morbilliviruses and MV than to CDV. Molecular and antigenic analyses suggest that CMV is close to the putative morbillivirus ancestor implying that it may be the `archevirus¿ of the genus and have infected cetaceans for thousands or millions of years. The wide geographic and species distribution of cetacean morbillivirus, the occurrence of potentially very large numbers of hosts among the extant cetacean species from polar waters to tropical seas for some two to five million years and the extensive migratory habits in several species, favour this hypothesis. However, further information about geographic and host population distribution of cetacean morbillivirus worldwide as well as about its current epidemiological status in cetacean populations is needed to further investigate whether or not this virus is the archevirus of the genus. This information may also be crucial for the management of populations suffering high mortalities in fisheries or under pressure from other human activities.

Summary

unavailable

Committee	Closed Committee - Animal Sciences (AS)
Research Topics	X – not assigned to a current Research Topic
Research Priority	X – Research Priority information not available
Research Initiative	X - not in an Initiative
Funding Scheme	X – not Funded via a specific Funding Scheme

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